The story
Welcome to the grandest stretch of pavement in San José. As you stand here, just off Paseo Colón, you are positioned at the heart of Costa Rica’s transition from a colonial town to a modern capital. This boulevard, named in honor of Christopher Columbus, serves as more than just a thoroughfare.
It is a timeline of the city’s ambition, stretching from the bustling core of downtown out toward the lush, open freedom of Parque La Sabana. Take a moment to look at the architecture surrounding you. In the early twentieth century, this was the most prestigious address in the country.
The coffee barons—the men who built Costa Rica’s wealth on the "golden bean"—constructed their private palaces here. While many of the original mansions have been replaced by glass towers like the sleek Torre Mercedes, several survivors remain, tucked away behind iron gates and towering palms. You’ll see neoclassical facades, ornate Victorian trim, and Art Deco lines that feel like a whisper from the 1930s.
Many of these homes have been repurposed into law firms, banks, or language schools, but if you look at the upper balconies and the intricate stonework around the windows, you can still imagine the garden parties of a century ago. As you move westward, the city begins to breathe a little deeper. To your left and right, you’ll pass landmarks like the National Children's Hospital and the older Hospital San Juan de Dios.
This area represents the pulse of San José’s civic life. But the true reward lies at the end of the boulevard, where the asphalt yields to the massive green expanse of Parque La Sabana. Known as the lungs of the city, La Sabana wasn’t always a place for jogging and picnics.
Until the 1950s, this was actually the site of Costa Rica’s main international airport. Imagine propped-engined planes landing right where families now fly kites and play soccer. The beautiful building on the park’s eastern edge, which now houses the Museum of Costa Rican Art, was actually the original airport terminal.
Its Spanish Colonial style is a reminder of a time when travel was an event of great ceremony. Paseo Colón today is a mix of the old world’s grace and the new world’s energy. It is a place where you can find a quiet courtyard hidden behind a high wall just steps away from the roar of city traffic.
As you walk this route, you are following the same path that presidents and pioneers took to reach the capital’s greatest park. Enjoy the shade of the palms and the history etched into every stone along this historic San José corridor.